1. Cross Reference
Co-pending patent application Ser. No. 07/189,484, of Robert D. Newell, filed May 2, 1988, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,738, and entitled "Interstitially Capacitive Absorptive Articles".
2. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a fluid-sorptive article, and more specifically to an absorbent tube containing one or more fibrous webs that may be used to take up and contain fluids.
3. Description of the Related Art
Absorbent socks comprised of stretched polyester and containing either agricultural cellulose in a free-flowing particulate form or containing particles of magnesium aluminosilicate or other particulate materials have been used to absorb and contain oils and non-aggressive fluids (PIG.RTM., New Pig Corporation, Tipton, Pa). Although such absorbent socks provide a contained, efficient way of absorbing hydraulic fluids, PCB's, and other substances to be cleaned from an environment, they also contain particulate inner material that may cause a problem of excessive dust and require use of a dust mask if a spillage from the sock occurs.
Other prior measures for absorbing leaked or spilled fluids have utilized clay, towels, buckets or cans. The problem with each of these methods relates to the difficulty and/or the expense of handling the oil-containing material or the container. Substances such as clay also have a lower absorbency than methods used in the commercial Pig.RTM. products.
It is well known that many fibrous or fabric substances absorb liquids to some extent. Such substances as cotton fiber and natural cellulose products absorb liquid more efficiently than many man-made fibers which cannot absorb water at all, but rather must rely on their capillary reaction to liquids. Thus, such synthetic fibrous yarns must be sufficiently porous to permit the moisture to diffuse between the fibers and be held between the fibers in a cleaning manner. These synthetic fibers, however, are often preferred for many other uses because of their strength, their high wearability and their limited shrinkage.
Desirable characteristics of fibrous webs or fibrous structures in enhancing fluid absorption include: high durability and resistance to abrasion; high absorption characteristics such as are shown by soft, loosely twisted yarns; ready dryability; high wet tensile strength; and the ability to withstand repeated laundering without shrinking significantly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,616 issued Jan. 5, 1988 to Harmon, discloses a mop head fabric construction that comprises a plurality of substantially parallel, abutting strands of textile material such as cords of twisted strands or yarns. Absorption in this product is accomplished through the use of capillary action exhibited by the very finely divided fibrous structures which possess a low fluid pick-up and retention capacity per unit volume, thereby physically limiting the amount of fluids that can be absorbed. These fibrous structures are limited in absorption capacity because of their large surface area per unit volume retained, and the wringability and dryability of these fibers.
Applicant's co-pending application U.S. application Ser. No. 07/189,484 filed May 2, 1988 discloses the surprising and unexpected discovery that interstitially capacitive regions may be employed to contain liquids and/or fluids or mixtures of fluids and particulates within a three-dimensional framework, e.g., fabric structure, which is capable of retaining the fluids by surface tension forces and capacitance between the individual legs of the structure of the fabric. These capacitive interstitial regions of the sorptive structures of the invention of the co-pending application also are desirable in that they release fluids more easily than conventional absorptive materials due mainly to the small structural surface area required to contain a droplet of liquid or fluid in the fabric or other fluid sorptive of the invention.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved sorptive article utilizing fibrous webs.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved sorptive article with increased sorptive efficiency.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sorptive article from which fluid may be easily released.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sorptive element that may be reused.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sorptive article that can be made of waste fibrous web substances.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sorptive element that does not contain dust-producing particulate matter, which could cause problems by littering the environment if the sorptive element were torn or broken open.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sorptive article that may be an elongated form to surround spills of fluids.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims.